55% of OT environments have four or more remote access tools, significantly increasing attack surface and operational complexity, increasing risk, Claroty Team82 finds

Claroty Ltd.
55% of OT environments have four or more remote access tools, significantly increasing attack surface and operational complexity, increasing risk, Claroty Team82 finds
Claroty Team82 study finds that organizations seeking to improve OT efficiency create excessive cybersecurity risks and operational burdens
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Claroty Ltd. (Headquarters: New York, USA; CEO: Yaniv Bardi; hereinafter referred to as Claroty), a cyber-physical security company for the Extended Internet of Things (XIoT), is promoting the proliferation of remote access tools and their use in OT environments. We have published a new Team82 research report on the risks posed by After examining a dataset of over 50,000 remote access-enabled devices, we found that 55% of OT environments have 4 or more remote access tools deployed, and 33% of OT environments have 6 or more remote access tools deployed, indicating excessive deployment. It was shown that
The survey found that 79% of organizations have two or more
non-enterprise-grade tools installed on their OT network devices. These tools lack basic privileged access management features such as session recording, auditing, role-based access control, and even multi-factor authentication (MFA). Increased high-risk exposure and additional operational costs for managing numerous solutions. ■Comment from Tal Laufer, Vice President of Secure Access Products, Claroty “Since the onset of the pandemic, remote access solutions have been increasingly looked to by organizations to more effectively manage their employees and third-party vendors. As organizations rely on remote access tools for IT services and OT remote access, our research found that the clutter of tools within OT networks poses a risk and operational burden. It just adds complexity.”
■Main survey results
Many remote access solutions found in OT networks are used for IT-only purposes and can pose significant exposures and compounding security concerns within the OT environment, including:
Lack of visibility:
When third-party vendors use proprietary remote access solutions to connect to your OT environment, OT network administrators and security personnel have limited visibility into related activity unless these solutions are centrally managed. It’s difficult.
Expanding the attack surface:
Increasing the number of external connections to a network through remote access tools increases the likelihood of increasing potential attack vectors that can enter the network through security
deficiencies and compromised credentials.
Complex identity management:
Using multiple remote access tools requires a more centralized management policy, including establishing consistent management and governance policies around who has access to the network, what they can access, and for how long. This increased complexity can create blind spots in access rights management.
Download detailed survey results here.
“Remote Access Overgrowth Problem”
https://claroty.com/resources/reports/the-problem-with-remote-access-tool-sprawl

According to Gartner(R), security and risk management (SRM) leaders should “conduct a complete inventory of all remote connections across the organization, especially at field sites where shadow remote access is likely to exist.” That’s why you should eliminate your old remote access solution when implementing a new CPS secure remote access solution. However, organizations often don’t focus on what’s left behind when implementing a new solution. With VPN vulnerabilities on the rise, this can be a key blind spot.”*
*Gartner, Innovation Insight: CPS Secure Remote Access Solutions, Katell Thielemann, Abhyuday Data, Wam Voster, April 18, 2024. GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and internationally and is used herein with permission. Unauthorized copying and reproduction prohibited Claroti’s xDome Secure Access provides OT-specific remote operation capabilities and an OT-ready security architecture that enables comprehensive visibility into both OT devices and the users connected to them. The solution can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud, allowing organizations to optimize remote access management and reduce total cost of ownership. Recognizing that no two CPS environments are the same, xDome Secure Access provides flexible, operationally specific remote access, regardless of an organization’s geographic spread, network architecture, or cloud maturity, and provides NIST Enables regulatory compliance with frameworks such as and NIS2. ■About Kuraroti
Claroty enables industrial, medical, and commercial organizations to securely protect all cyber-physical systems in their environments, the Extended Internet of Things (XIoT). Claroti’s integrated platform integrates with your existing infrastructure and provides full control, including visibility, risk and vulnerability management, threat detection, and secure remote access.
Claroty is supported and adopted by leading industrial automation vendors, with an extensive partner ecosystem and award-winning research team. Headquartered in New York City, the company has offices in Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.
Official Japanese website: https://claroty.com/ja
Claroty head office site: https://claroty.com/
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